Should I buy it?

Lee5005

Pedelecer
Jun 7, 2020
34
9
Margate Kent
Hi all

I'm after some advice if I may.

A friend has offered me a haibike sduro hardseven SL 27.5 Yamaha 2016 for £1k.
He bought it new and hardly used it, only done 350 miles.

My first question is if the battery has not been used much will it still be ok.
I know if he had put lots of miles on it a 6 year old battery would be showing signs of age, but what if it is not used?

It only has a 400Wh battery, but I'm not planning long journeys, just running around town, going to the tennis club etc.

So basically is it a good deal or is it being 6 years old a no go ?

ps the bike looks to be in very good condition.

Any comments will be gladly received.

Thanks
 

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flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
52,790
30,369
Whether used or not, a six year old pedelec lithium battery is usually at or near to end of life.

However, as the seller is friend, ask him if you can have a one or two day trial on the sort of local trips you are planning. If it completes those ok with plenty left in the battery, it may well be a worthwhile buy.
.
 

matthewslack

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 26, 2021
1,621
1,205
Hi all

I'm after some advice if I may.

A friend has offered me a haibike sduro hardseven SL 27.5 Yamaha 2016 for £1k.
He bought it new and hardly used it, only done 350 miles.

My first question is if the battery has not been used much will it still be ok.
I know if he had put lots of miles on it a 6 year old battery would be showing signs of age, but what if it is not used?

It only has a 400Wh battery, but I'm not planning long journeys, just running around town, going to the tennis club etc.

So basically is it a good deal or is it being 6 years old a no go ?

ps the bike looks to be in very good condition.

Any comments will be gladly received.

Thanks
Have a test ride, if it seems OK, then likely to be a good deal. Read this thread for long term history of a similar bike:

 

Gringo

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 18, 2013
1,333
835
Northampton
It looks good but There’s a lot to consider, once out of warranty, values drop quite low.
Yes battery’s do loose capacity over time and are very expensive to replace. Stored correctly you can minimise the losses but there will still be some losses. With my Bosch battery’s I can get a status report from my local dealer, maybe you can do the same? Alternatively you could go for a ride to see if it has the range you’d like (making sure your not too far from home as the battery depletes)
As to valve. I think 1K seems a little high, 6 years ago they were about £1.800 new ! Around 2018 I sold my 4 year old £1,700 cube for £500 and earlier this year I brought a 6 month old Crossfuse (only 230miles) new it was £1.800 and I paid £950.
Personally I’d start looking online to see what they are selling for (not what sellers are asking)
 

Lee5005

Pedelecer
Jun 7, 2020
34
9
Margate Kent
Thanks for all the replies and links. I've arranged to borrow it for the day and see how it goes.
He says the battery has been stored in doors.

I'll be honest, I've wanted one for ages, so if this looks good I'm really keen to join in the fun you all seem to have.
 
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soundwave

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 23, 2015
16,119
6,313
well the Yamaha motor is the most fixable out of all of them as parts and controllers are available to buy but 1k is to expensive as you will need at least 750-850 for a new batt and new new cube is about £2300.
 

lightning

Esteemed Pedelecer
Mar 26, 2022
258
73
£800 for a battery, are they that expensive? My Shimano 504Wh is expensive but not that much.

l would expect nearer £400 or it could maybe be recelled, if necessary
 

soundwave

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 23, 2015
16,119
6,313
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lightning

Esteemed Pedelecer
Mar 26, 2022
258
73
Ah okay l didn't know that.

Looks like l was wrong on battery prices as well. £795, and not rebuildable.... crikey that will write off an older ebike.
 

TripHazard

Finding my (electric) wheels
Mar 5, 2018
22
8
51
Southampton
My calculation with any electric bike is ....Price new - price of a battery then 1/2.. I wouldn't go over that.
To me anything second hand is 1/2 the value of full RRP. With any battery you have to factor the cost of a new one. You can pick most things up in sales for way less than RRP and old bikes go so cheap when new models come out.
 

soundwave

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 23, 2015
16,119
6,313
i just had to buy a new 500w batt for my bike and it was £633 and the only one i could find in stock in the hole uk as made to order and peter has a 18 month waiting list so get that or nothing.

liofit can recell most of them but in fkn germany
 

soundwave

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 23, 2015
16,119
6,313

soundwave

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 23, 2015
16,119
6,313
that is a 3rd party batt mind and not official Yamaha but they do work and half the price.

id offer him £400 as you will need to spend that again on a new batt worst case as these batts dont like not being used.

the forks and wheels are shite same as the group set and brakes but that motor is near bomb proof and a full bearing rebuild is only £230 inc labour.

also these bikes have non boost and all forks and frames these days are all boost so limited parts as this standard died in 2019
 
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Andy-Mat

Esteemed Pedelecer
Oct 26, 2018
2,214
562
77
Hi all

I'm after some advice if I may.

A friend has offered me a haibike sduro hardseven SL 27.5 Yamaha 2016 for £1k.
He bought it new and hardly used it, only done 350 miles.

My first question is if the battery has not been used much will it still be ok.
I know if he had put lots of miles on it a 6 year old battery would be showing signs of age, but what if it is not used?

It only has a 400Wh battery, but I'm not planning long journeys, just running around town, going to the tennis club etc.

So basically is it a good deal or is it being 6 years old a no go ?

ps the bike looks to be in very good condition.

Any comments will be gladly received.

Thanks
I would advise that you avoid the complete bike for the following reasons:-
1) A betting man would bet that the battery is either bad, or going bad and a replacement will be very expensive.
2) Its a mid motor, and due to the fact that all power, muscular and motor, goes through the same piece of chain, mid motor bikes suffer high wear to the chain and sprocket components, requiring regular replacement.
3) If on a long ride, any of your chain components fails (and you either have no spare handy, or its night and or raining), then you are in for a long unpleasant walk home, even if the motor is OK and the battery is full. On a hub bike chain failure (rare!), you can usually trick the bike into letting you ride home just on the electric motor power.
4) New hub bikes are available for around the price your friend is asking. Mine cost under 1,000 UK pounds and had 2 batteries, transport and custom costs included. There are others out there for a similar price.
5) Due to the simplicity of hub bikes, reliability is far better and replacement parts far cheaper.
6) Mid motors are expensive to repair/replace, about the price your friend wants, and often must take place at the will of the manufacturer......or not!
regards
Andy
 

Andy-Mat

Esteemed Pedelecer
Oct 26, 2018
2,214
562
77
I would advise that you avoid the complete bike for the following reasons:-
1) A betting man would bet that the battery is either bad, or going bad and a replacement will be very expensive.
2) Its a mid motor, and due to the fact that all power, muscular and motor, goes through the same piece of chain, mid motor bikes suffer high wear to the chain and sprocket components, requiring regular replacement.
3) If on a long ride, any of your chain components fails (and you either have no spare handy, or its night and or raining), then you are in for a long unpleasant walk home, even if the motor is OK and the battery is full. On a hub bike chain failure (rare!), you can usually trick the bike into letting you ride home just on the electric motor power.
4) New hub bikes are available for around the price your friend is asking. Mine cost under 1,000 UK pounds and had 2 batteries, transport and custom costs included. There are others out there for a similar price.
5) Due to the simplicity of hub bikes, reliability is far better and replacement parts far cheaper.
6) Mid motors are expensive to repair/replace, about the price your friend wants, and often must take place at the will of the manufacturer......or not!
regards
Andy
Sorry, I forgot to mention that certain people who LOVE mid motor e-bikes (been lucky or ride them seldom!), who accept all the disadvantages and negatives, will make erroneous comments to possibly mislead your personal choices.
A secondhand mid-motor e-bike is a scary option for most informed people, and in no way comparable to a new, simple, rear hub bike, that can be easily repaired, with standard parts from many different makers and suppliers, for relatively low prices, with DIY if you are capable of DIY.
But with mid motors, you are usually FIXED with one supplier/manufacturer, and their own rules, fair or not, as the case may be.
You should look around on Pedelec for all the problems that can happen to either type, but keep an eye on the costs involved.
Mid motors are only a small segment of the industry, hub bikes are the are the largest percentage of all.
The cost of buying and maintaining a Ferari are huge, and everyone accepts it, even those who cannot afford one......its not dissimilar!
best wishes and remember, its your choice personal either way, not anyone elses!
Andy
 

lightning

Esteemed Pedelecer
Mar 26, 2022
258
73
A mid mounted motor is better, because it drives through the gears.

But l agree with the above, unless you are riding serious off road a hub motor is fine and a lot simpler/cheaper to repair.

l've got both, and l've found myself using the hub motor bike more, because it's actually more fun to ride than my £5,000 full suspension Kona ebike.

(which is fitted with a Shimano mid mounted motor that's not serviceable if it fails and costs around £900 to replace)

Off road the Kona will wipe the floor with the hub motor bike, but on road there's not a lot in it, despite the fact that the mid motor has a torque sensor so is more intuitive.
 
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GLJoe

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 21, 2017
852
407
UK
A friend has offered me a haibike sduro hardseven SL 27.5 Yamaha 2016 for £1k.
He bought it new and hardly used it, only done 350 miles.
Personally, I don't concur with a number of responses on this thread.

Its a very decent bike. Forget stuff like it not having boost spacing or anything on the forks, that's a non issue for 95% of normal people and I'd very much doubt you'll have issues getting spare parts if anything needs replacing, but the reality is, its doubtful you WILL need to replace things like forks etc anyway.

The only thing you do need to be wary of is the battery, however all the evidence shows that Yamaha haven't skimped with the quality of the cells, so if the owner has stored it properly, chances are you're going to be fine for a good few more years, despite the age. Look for posts here by George Henry about his yamaha haibike and the age of his battery. And I'm also talking from experience, as my wife has the female version of the bike in question here, and that's even older and has done something like 5000+ miles and the battery is still good. I'm sure it must have dropped in capacity somewhat, but the fact that its not easily quantifiable speaks volumes.

Ultimately, the best advice on this thread is something you indeed seem to be doing, which is borrow the bike and try it. So fully charge it up, and ride it until the battery is empty, just keeping an eye on whether the charge does something strange like drop from 40% to zero in one go. If it doesn't do that, and its a nice gradual(ish) decrease with a decent range, I'd say you're good to go, and given the price and availability of new ebikes, well ... I think your mate is going to get the £1000 he's asking.

if the battery is knackered, then there are 3rd party ones out there for £300-400, so negotiate with your friend who's selling.
But if it was me, I'd be VERY interested in getting this bike.
 
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